19 Tasting Notes

Light, sweet, nutty, grassy… I want to keep this with me forever and ever. This tea embodies all the reasons I fell in love with green tea in the first place. Thank you so much to Aggie for giving me some to try!

Preparation

I am a big fan of tea that glitters. This feels like I’m drinking liquid gold. Or possibly magic. Magic tastes like cloves and a slight hint of cinnamon. The flavour could be a bit more refined, I think, but still— as far as teas go, this one is incandescent.

My first real taste of any of the finer, more expensive teas out there. Tea aficionados often call Darjeeling “the champagne of teas,” and now I can definitely understand what they mean. This tea is so good! I saw the word “muscat” in the description on the tin, so I looked it up; that’s a beautifully succinct way of explaining the grape notes in this one. It’s earthy and aromatic and beautifully complex. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it before.

In the realm of black teas, Lapsang Souchong is a whole different ballpark. Oh man. The first time I had Lapsang was as part of a blend from Adagio, and I wasn’t yet used to the taste, but now I’ve completely fallen in love with it! The aroma is really strong— it smells like a campfire, and it tastes so beautifully smoky. ”Complex” is a very good word for it. Also, there seems to be a slight pepper note in here. It’s really nice, and it complements the smokiness perfectly.

Your basic, simple breakfast tea. Dry mouthfeel, full-bodied tea taste. Definitely the slight malty taste of an Assam is there, though my palate isn’t picking up anything too strongly other than the taste of tea. I love this one, I really do, but it’s rather one-dimensional compared to some other black teas I’ve tried.

Being a person who usually takes their tea black – or with the barest splash of milk – I find a lot of dessert teas to be overwhelming and saccharine-sweet. This one certainly felt that way. The cup of tea has a sweet sort of cakey smell to it. It really does taste like red velvet cake with just a bit of sugar; with milk, it tastes a bit more like tea. Very sweet. No bitterness at all. One thing that sort of turned me off of it is the waxy, oily residue from the sprinkles (I think?) that were in the loose tea mix. Sprinkles give it such a nice flavour, but the wax… um… wasn’t the most appetizing. Warm thank-yous to Andrea for giving me a bit to try— I probably won’t go back for more, though. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by all the other awesome teas I’ve tried around here?

Truth be told, the only reason this doesn’t have a review from me yet is because I’ve been trying to figure out whether I can find anything bad to say about it. I don’t think I can. It’s sweet, fragrant, and delicious— currant and caramel go so well together, and the hint of bergamot adds a delicate, flowery note. (Delicate is key— the black tea base is a background sort of flavour, which brings out the sweetness and nuance of the other flavours. I find myself not wanting to waste it on mornings where I can’t really sit down to enjoy it.) All in all, it really does feel like a Paris kind of tea. One of my favourites for sure! <3

Lady Grey is the one tea I will always be in the mood for. The bergamot in this one isn’t too strong, and is wonderfully complemented by the lemon and orange flavours. I’m seeing a few comparisons to the smell of fruit loops, but to me it’s more like… plucking a leaf from a lemon balm plant, rolling and crushing it between your fingers, and bringing it up to your lips to smell. That’s exactly what it’s like. Other than that, there isn’t a whole lot I can say that hasn’t been said before… it’s a lovely tea!

Sometimes you just want a plain tea with breakfast. This is great for that. Strong, full-flavoured, great with a pinch of sugar and the barest splash of milk. The only criticism I can really make is that I’d have loved to have more bergamot in it, but still. This makes a nice morning cuppa.

I find it hard to believe that I’m drinking the same pumpkin chai that everyone else is drinking. This tea has such glowing reviews. Meanwhile, I couldn’t even finish my cup. The artificial pumpkin flavour is simply too much for me… it’s cloying, overpowering, and not like pumpkin at all.